Apparatus for handling cement and other pulverulent materials



2, 1932- M. A. ROBLEE ET AL 1,869,619

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CEMENT AND OTHER PULV'ERULENT MATERIALS Filed March 10, 1952 2 SheetsSheet 1 .Aug. 2, 1932. 1,869,619

-APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CEMENT AND OTHER PULVERULENT MATERIALS M. A. ROBLEE ET AL,

Filed March 10, 1932 2 Shets-fiheet 2 gmemto w fliltolg qflable, M Geoijgefilfun 2, 73M

.A further object of the inventionis to Patented Aug. 2, 1932 MILTON A. ROBLEE AND eEoReE nENnY" 'xu'ifz, atrr'a'xzAn a1E, Wisconsin; Assmivons'ro HAINBELT' COMPANY, or "MILWAU EE;.wrso'onsim'n oonroRA'rIoIv or WISCONSIN APPARATUS non nANnLme-cEMnNTANnotrrrnic PU-LVERULENTMATERIAES hpp-lication filed MarbhIO, 1932. Serial-fi598066t This invention relates to apparatusv for handling cement andother pulverulent, granular and analogous materials, andmoreparticularly to an apparatus for unloading. such materials from mobile vehicles such as rail+ way cars and transferring them to storage bins, and has for one of its objects to provide an apparatus of this kind which: will be simple in construction, comparatively .inex pensivetomanufacture and more'e'flicient in use than those which have been heretofore proposed. I

In the handling of cement, for example, it is common present day practice to load the same in bulk intoclosed railway cars for transportation and upon. arrival. at the destination to transfer the material to stationary elevatedstoragebins or hoppers from which the contractor may dispense the same --.i, in suitable measured quantities as occasion demands. It has also been commonpractice in the transferring of the material from the vehicle to the, hopper to employ an elevating conveyor, usually arranged to operate ina. substantiallyvertical plane, which con.- veyor is in turn fed by a horizontally dis-- posed conveyor which is or may be ofthe ordinary screw type. In order to permit of the free movement of the railway Vehicle it is necessary that provi-sionz'be made'forreadymovement to, a portion of the; apparatus toward and from the door or discharge ,open

tively complicated-drive therefor; and it is one of. the primary; objects ot the present-ins vention. toaprovide a construction-in which:

the feed conveyor is at all times fi'xed'relativeto the elevating. conveyor and in which the complicated feeding conveyor drive abovere-ferred tois eliminated.

provide a material: handling apparatus :of the class. described in which the relatively fixed feeding conveyor is provided with a movable feeding chute-or apronwhic h may be swungtoand from an operative position relative to the car door whereby the vehicle. may be cleared by'the-discharging: apparatus so that it may be readily moved to and from discharging. position.

. A still further object of-the invention is to provide" an auxiliary apron in conjunce tion with a the main pivoted apron. just de scribed which is so constructed that it may be contracted orcollapsedfor ready introduction into-the discharge opening. ofthe vehicle and thereafterjexpand'ed to bringfpor-a tions thereof into intimate engagement with the: wallsof the vehicle--v discharge opening in order that leakage of the materialaround the sides ofthe-auxili ary apron may be avoided.

I With the above and other-objects view which will appear as the deseriptionpro ceeds,-the invention consists in the" novel details of construction and" combinations 0t parts more: fiu'l ly hereinafter. described and particularly pointed out "the 'appende'd claims. I

.Reterring to the accompanying'r drawings forming. a p'artof this specification in which like reference characters designate like parts insasl'll'tlage' viewsz Figure 1: is aside elevational view, more orl'ess diagrammatic; of one formof apparatus constructed in accordance with. the present invention; r

Figure 2 is a? front elevational vieW'of the parts shown in Figurela;

' Figure 3' is an enlarged horizontal: sectionalelevationa-li viewof a portion of the mai apron: and? the auxiliary apron associated therewith the partsbeingshown in: full lines in the operativ'e positions they assume during: discharge of the material from the vehicle";

Figurei i' is a fragmentary-' vertical sectional-view taken approximately on thepla-ne indicated by the: line 4e:4 oii Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged"fragmentary; vertical.sectional 'view 'taken approximately on:

ill)

ure 4, showing one means of connecting the auxiliary and main aprons and for spreading and maintaining the auxiliary apron in operative position.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, 10 indicates a receiving and storage bin of a well known hopper type which may be supportedupon,suitable framework 11. Arranged atone side of the said binis an elevating conveyor 12 of any suitable construction, here shown as comprising a casing or housing 13 within which is mounted an endlesschain '14 trained about head and foot sprockets 15 and 16 respectively and provided with buckets 17, all as will beclear from the drawings. A motor 18 is mounted upon the framework 11 and through suitable power transmitting connections, here shown as a chain and sprocket drive 19, transmits power to an auxiliary shaft 20 which in turn through-a chain and sprocket drive 21transmits power to the foot shaft 22 which carries the foot sprocket 16.

At the bottom of theelevating conveyor 12 and to one side thereof there is provided a feeding conveyor 25 which is hereshown ascomprising acasing 26 in which is rotatably mounted a screw 27. The casings Band 26 are always maintained in relatively fixed relation to one another and in order to rotate the screw conve or 27 there is provided a chain and sprocket drive 28 from the foot shaft 22 to: the shaft 29 of the screw conveyor. T In the priorconstructions of this character with which We are familiar, it has been considered essential to position the feeding conveyor such as 25 at some distance above the bottom of the boot of the elevator such as 12, so as to feed the conveyed material directly into the buckets of the elevator on the upwardly travelingside. This however necessitates either the sinking of a portion of the boot into a well or pit, if the feeding conveyor be located at ground level, or else a material elevation of the feeding conveyor on supports if the bottom-of the boot be at ground level. We have determined from'actual trial that it is not necessary to provide this difference in level betweenthe feeding conveyor 25 and the bottom of the elevator boot, but that on the other hand, the present apparatus works exceptionally well with both 'theconveyor 25 and the bottom of the elevator boot disposed at substantially ground level, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that the conveyor screw 27 carries the material across and forces it into the elevator casing 13 at the boot bottom level. 4

The-right hand end of the casing 26 of the screw conveyor, as viewed in Figurel, is in communlcatlon w1th the lower portion of the housing 18 of the elevating conveyor, while the left hand end of the said casingis provided with a material receiving opening 30 through which the cement or other mate rial is fed by means of a chute or apron 31. This apron is pivotally mounted as at 32 for swinging movements from the full line position shown in Figure 1 to the broken line position shown therein, whereby it may occupy an operative position in close proximity to. the sides of the railway vehicle or container 33, or it may beiswung away therefrom 'to the broken line position to completely clear the said vehicle in order that the latter may be moved to and from its discharging position. In order to maintain the apron 31 in its full line or operative position there is provided a pair of brace members 34 and 35 which are hinged together as at 36, the other end of the member 3 1 being pivotally connected asat 37 to a portion of the apron 31, while the other end of member 35 is pivotally connected as at 38 to a portion of the framework 11. The member 35 may be provided with a suitable stop 39 for limiting its movement in one direction relative to its companion member 34, while free movement in the other direction is permitted, and may be accomplished through a cable 40 passing over suitable guide pulleys 4:1 to a hand winch or cable winding drum 4:2 mounted on the framework 11. Obviously by winding the cable 40 upon'the drum of the winch 42 there is exerted a lifting force upon the brace members 3a and 35 to break the hinge joint 36 and move the brace members as well as the apron 31 from the full line position shown in F igure'l to the broken line positions shown therein.

In order to provide for a relatively tight joint between the movable apron 31 and the discharge opening of the vehicle 33 whereby leakage of the cement or other material around the sides of the apron may be pre- Zented, there is provided an auxiliary apron As best shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5, this auxiliary apron comprises a pair of members 46 which extend transversely of the opening in the Wall of the vehicle 33 and are provided with upstanding side walls 46. The transversely extending members 46 are pivotally connected together as at 4:7 and the outer ends ofthe upstanding portions 46 are provided with adjustable angle members 48. These members in the operative position ofthe auxiliary apron shown in full lines in Figure 3, fit around the edge of the door opening of the vehicle and in conjunction with the side members 46' and bottom members 46 provide tight joints between the auxiliary apronand the walls of the said opening whereby leakage of the cement at such points is avoided.

In order that the auxiliary apron may maintaining them insuch position, there i i tions comprise eye bolts 50 carried by the sid lines in Figure 3 in which the angle membersri'.

ing. After introduction into the opening in this manner the members 46 are spread one moved toward their straightened positio and for bringing them into final positionan provided a detachable connection with the, main apron 31. As here shown these 6011116011 members 46', the eyes of which are adapted conveyer; a zsubstantially; horizontal. feeding onYeyenin; fixed :relation: to .saidwelevating conveyer fortransferring thematerial therete; said feeding:-eonveyerbeing provided with a easitngehaving a.;material-receiving1;;open 'ng.; ;,and-an. apronlfor conducti11g-:.,the.;marial; to saidzs-feeding conveyer from agcontainerf said apron being i pivotally mounted omsaidmasing above said opening for swingng. movement from a materialereceiving: po

itioniadj-acent; athe-. z,container 1 to. a: position to receive the hooked ends 51 of threaded eremoved-.thercfromwto:permitrfree;movement; rods 52 which pass through the side wallsahlof theaconta-iner.

31 of the main apron. Spacing sleeves 53 v ends of the rods 52 and outside of these sleevesri there is provided the threaded nuts 54 hav- 3-. 3.. :In; apparatus?for-:handlingipulverulent, granular: and similar/materials, a =conveyer aefeeding apron .pivot'ally amounted-relative said conveyer, Tfor conducting the. material ing operating handles 55 by means of which'aafihereto froma container bracemeinbers con-' the nuts may be manually moved to draw thee nected=to,sa1d aprQ-nyforholding the; same in rods 52 outwardly, as will be readily under-1; stood. Such outward movement of the said:

rods being transmitted through the hooks 51:;- and the eye bolts 50 to the side members 46.-.1avvay:from Saidcontainer.r

of the auxiliary apron completes the movement of members 46 and 48 to their full line position shown in Figure 3 and securely: clamps the auxiliary apron in operative posi-er:

operative HPOSltiQH :relative to: said. conveyer; and :contarner; vandvmeans for. 1 moving aSalCl brace membersztoacause: said: apron to swing 4. :Irr-apparatus, for: handling pulverulent, granular, .andisimilar materials, a conveyer. a: feeding; :apron a 1 pivotally; mounted 1i relative -to said ;;c0nveyer, for .i conducting material tion within the door opening and relative toi theretofrom acontainer;hinged-bracememthe main apron 31. u.- For moving the material Within the car..- 33 to the aprons 45 and 31 there is providedm what is commonly termed a power shovelm This device includes a winding drum 55 11 mounted upon the framework 11 adjacent the motor 18, which drum may be driven through-. 1 a chain and sprocket drive 56 from the auxiliary shaft 20. Cable 57 is wound uponthe said drum and passes around a guiding pulley or wheel 58 and thence above the brace members 34 and 35 and over the top of apron 31 to the interior of the car where its free end is connected to a scoop or shovel 59 which may be employed for scooping the cement or other material into the auxiliary apron 45 and main apron 31.

granular and similar materials, an elevating conveyer; a feeding conveyer disposed in fixed relation to said elevating conveyor for transferring the material thereto; and an apron for conducting the material from a container to said feeding conveyer, said apron being mounted for swinging movement to and from a position to receive the material from its container.

2. In apparatus for handling pulverulent, granular and similar materials, an elevating berspivotally connected to said-gapron .and

to a, fixedsupport, for holding: said-apron in operative position relative to saidconveyer and container; and; means" for breaking: the hingeof: said-brace members and collapsing them to move sai dapron away from said-container.

5. In apparatus for unloading pulverulent, granular and simila-r: materials. from a container having a discharge opening, a:.:-con- V veyeri; ansjapron for-conducting the material to- 'said conveyer; and-nan, auxiliary apron arranged to be introduced into said opening and to conduct the material to the main apron.

6. In apparatus for unloading pulverulent, granular and similar materials from a movable container having a discharge opening? a conveyer; an apron for conducting the material to said conveyer, said apron being mounted for movement away from said opening to permit of free movement of the container; and an auxiliary apron arranged te be introduced into said opening and to con duct material from the container to the main apron. r

7. In apparatus for unloading pulverulent, granular and similar materials from a mov able container having a discharge opening,

a conveyer; an apron for conducting the material to said conveyer, said apron being mounted for movement away from said opening to permit of free movement of the con tainer; and an auxiliary apron arranged to be introduced into said opening and to conduct material from the container to the main apron, said auxiliary apron being adjustable to provide for expansion after its insertiori in said opening, to bring portions thereof into engagement With the Walls of said opening to prevent leakage of the material.

' i 8. i In apparatus for unloading-pulverulent,

granular and similar materials irom mobile vehicles having a discharge opening,'a conmveyer; an apron for conductingthe materlal to said conveyer; an auxiliary apron for conducting the material from said opening to the main apron, said auxiliary apron comprising apair of collapsible members ar ranged to be introduced into said discharge opening; and means engageable With saidmain apron for spreading said collapsible members to bring portions thereof into engagement with the Walls of said opening to prevent leakage of the material,

9. In apparatus for unloading pulverulent,

granular and similar materials from mobile vehicles'having a discharge opening, a con- -veyer; an apron for conducting the material to said conveyer; an auxiliary apron for conducting the material from said openlng to the main apron, said auxiliary apron comprising a pair ofpivotally connected members arranged to be swung to a collapsed position in which they may be readily introduced into said opening; hook members carried by saidmain apron, detaohably engageable With the members of said auxiliary apron; and thread-.

ed means on said hook members for producing longitudinal movement thereof to spread said auxiliary apron members and bring portions thereof into engagement With the Walls of said opening to prevent leakage of the material. a

In testimony whereof, We afiix our signatures. v

MILTON A. ROBLEE. GEORGE HENRY KUNZ. 

